SpaceNews.com
• Jeff Foust
Starfish Space says its first Otter servicing spacecraft failed shortly after launch when a fault-protection system blocked communications with the vehicle. The failure interrupts the company’s effort to move its orbital servicing technology from demonstrations toward customer missions.
Commercial Space
Latest source-backed stories
Starfish Space says its first Otter servicing spacecraft failed shortly after launch when a fault-protection system blocked communications with the vehicle. The failure interrupts the company’s effort to move its orbital servicing technology from demonstrations toward customer missions.
Chinese commercial firm Star Vision has signed agreements covering the development, launch and operation of an AI-enabled satellite constellation for Oman. The announcement signals a commercial space partnership between a Chinese provider and an Omani customer, though the agreements’ scope, schedule and constellation size were not specified in the article.
SpaceX has held preliminary talks with EchoStar about acquiring Boost Mobile or securing wholesale access to its cellular network, according to sources cited in the reports. The discussions leave open two different routes to combining terrestrial wireless coverage with SpaceX’s satellite network; no deal was reported.
Globalstar has warned that Rocket Lab’s supplier relationship with Iridium could give Rocket Lab an incentive to favor Iridium at Globalstar’s expense. The concern echoes issues raised by SpaceX, according to the report, putting the commercial terms and competitive implications of the relationship in focus.
Voyager Technologies says it is pleased with its acquisition of lunar lander developer Astrobotic as it prepares for the launch of Griffin-1, its next mission. The update offers a view of Voyager’s assessment of the acquisition ahead of a major operational milestone for the lunar lander business.
High activity
A space company is building its future around water as spacecraft propellant, arguing that it is broadly available. The approach puts a familiar substance at the center of its propulsion strategy, though the article summary provides no details on the company, its system or planned missions.
High activity
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has addressed the debate over the Hubble Space Telescope’s long-term future as the agency seeks commercial input on possible paths forward. Its request for information asks companies to assess options ranging from reboosting or servicing the observatory to carrying out a controlled deorbit.
Create a free account to see more recent Commercial Space stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
